Cabinet frame assembly



March 12, 1957 s. HAMMER CABINET FRAME ASSEMBLY 2 Shecs-Sheet 1 FiledJune 29, 195 4 INVEN TOR. s /waa HHMMEI? March 12, 1957 s. HAMMERCABINET FRAME ASSEMBLY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 29, 1954 CABINETFRAME ASSEMBLY Samuel Hammer, New York, N. Y., assignor to United MetalCabinet Corporation, Brooklyn, N. Y., a corporation of New YorkApplication June 29, 1954, Serial No. 448,105

3 Claims. (Cl. 312-257) This invention relates to cabinets and moreparticularly to metal frames for cabinets.

Heretofore difliculty has been experienced in providing metal frameswith tight mitered joints and without soldering or welding thereat oruse of exposed fastening means such as screws and the like. The presentinvention contemplates an improved construction to overcome thedifiiculty mentioned.

Likewise of general nature, the invention proposes a constructionapplicable to various sizes of cabinets with minimum tools and partsinventory at the factory.

More specifically, the invention has an objective of providing cornerpieces for receiving and retaining the mitered frame sections on thecabinet.

Another object of the invention is to utilize said corner pieces to drawthe mitered ends of the frame sections to a closed joint. 1

in conjunction with the foregoing objects, the invention provides aconstruction wherein the means for securing the frame to the cabinet andfor tightening the joint is located out of sight from the front orexposed part of the frame.

Other objects, advantages, and distinguishing characteristics willappear to persons skilled in the art to which the invention appertainsas the description proceeds, both by direct reference thereto and byimplication from the context.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals ofreference indicate similar parts throughout the several views;

Figure 1 is an isometric view of a cabinet to which my invention isapplied;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a flange plate constituting a featureof the invention;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of an end portion of the frame moulding;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the assembled corner piececonstituting a feature of the invention;

Figure 5 is an elevational section of a portion of a frame assembled ona cabinet and looking at the rear of the cabinet and frame;

Figures 6 and 7 are sectional views taken on lines VlVl and VHVHrespectively of Fig. 5; and

Figure 8 is a rear elevation of the corner portion of the corner pieceof Fig. 4.

In the specific embodiment of the invention illustrated in saiddrawings, the reference numeral 19 designates a cabinet in general,such, for instance, as a medicine cabinet adapted to be set into a walland having a peripheral front flange 11 to which the frame of myinvention is applied as a part of the factory fabrication of thecomplete unit. The usual thickness of metal employed in making cabinetsof the character indicated is too thin gauge for acceptable or permanentattachment of frames thereto by threaded holes in the metal for screws.It is diflicult to fabricate cabinets and frames with such perfectionthat screw holes will exactly register and obtain tight joints of frontmoulding around a cabinet. These objections are overcome in the presentinvention by welding, as at 12, an L-shaped flange plate 13 in flatwiseengagement with the rear face of the cabinet flange 11 at each corner ofthe cabinet. This flange plate is of heavier gauge metal than saidflange and adequately resistive to bending for the purpose for whichemployed. By virtue of the welded attachment of the flange plate, itbecomes and remains a permanent part of the cabinet flange andreenforces the same so that the cabinet flange remains flat and in aplane common with or parallel to the hem of the cabinet. While thevertical inner edge of the L-shaped flange plate is shown in engagementwith the side wall of the cabinet, the horizontal edge of said plate isoffset from the horizontal wall of the cabinet so as not to interferewith free sliding of the slidable doors 14 with which the cabinet isshown equipped.

The frame of the present invention is applied at the front of saidcabinet flange 11 and has a depth so as to also extend rearwardly at theouter periphery of said flange. Said frame is assembled before beingapplied in place on the cabinet, an essential feature of the inventionresiding in means for bringing the meeting ends of the. front mouldingof the frame into tight or closed engagement at the corners of thecabinet.

In carrying out my invention, the frame conveniently includes frontmouldings 15 at the four sides of the cabinet front opening, the ends ofsaid mouldings being cut or mitered at 45 angles. The invention alsoincludes four corner pieces 16 with reaches 17 at right angles to eachother permanently held in that relation by a gusset plate 18 spanningthe junction of said reaches and welded to both, as at 19. Said gussetplate is shown at the rear faces of reaches 17 so that in ultimateassembly of the frame on the cabinet, the gusset plates will bejuxtaposed flatwise against the front face of the cabinet flanges 11,-one at each corner, and overlying the part of said flange that isreenforced by the L-shaped flange plate 13. As the corner pieces 16 arecompletely covered in the ultimate assembly, there is no necessity forthe reaches 17 to abut at their meeting or mitered ends, so I haveshown, indulging in some exaggeration over actual practice, a gap 20between the mitered ends. It may also be here noted that the reaches 17of the corner pieces 16 are relatively short compared to the lengths ofthe mouldings and the successive reaches in any one moulding section donot meet each other, but are at substantial distances apart.

The reaches 17 of the corner pieces 16 and the sections of moulding 15are formed to have slidable inter-engagement, although the surfaceconfigurations of the moulding do not have to be in duplication of allof the corresponding portions of the corner pieces. For instance, asshown, the moulding has a front face that bows from edge to edge,whereas the corresponding face of the corner piece reach 17 has a morepronounced bow or bulge 21 medially thereof but with the altitude ofthat bulge no greater than the altitude of the bow of the moulding.

The edge of the corner piece reach which is toward the cabinet openingin use, and here termed the inner edge, has a marginal dip 22 lengthwisethereof. The corresponding edge of the moulding has a U-shaped bend 23longitudinally thereof thereby forming a slideway that enables themoulding to be slid onto the dipped marginal edge of the corner piece.The opposite or outer edges of the reach and moulding are arranged tohave a longitudinal slidable fit agreeable to the selected contour ofthe moulding. According to the present showing, the moulding has a sidewall 24 extending rearwardly from the front bowed face at the entirelongitudinal edge thereof.

The rear edge of the side wall of the moulding bends inwardlysubstantially at right angles, forming a longitudinal lip 25 thereat. Inlike manner, the reach 17 has a side wall 26 the rearward edge of whichbends inward to form a lip 27. The dimension rearwardly of the side wall24 of the moulding is enough greater than the corresponding dimension ofthe'side wall 26 of the corner piece for enabling the moulding totelescope upon the reach of said corner piece. When the cabinet and theframe are applied in position in a room wall, it is the inwardlydirected lip 25 of the moulding at the rear edge thereof which liesagainst the room wall, and it is the depth of the side wall 24 of themoulding which gives the over-all thickness or projection of themoulding outwardly from said room wall.

An essential feature of the present invention is the means by which themiter joints at the corners of the frame moulding are drawn tightlytogether or closed, and the frame simultaneously secured to the cabinet.In carrying out this feature, a headed screw 28 is secured nonrotatablyin the gusset plate 18 at a mid-part thereof and projects from saidplate perpendicular thereto, the head of said screw being located at theface of the gusset plate toward and within the bows or bulges 21 of thereaches 17 of the corner pieces 16 and axially intersects a 45 linetraversing the gusset plate from the outer to the inner corners thereof,said line being parallel to the mitered ends 29 of the moulding in finalassembled condition. Said screw has a length not greater than the depthof the side wall 26 of the corner piece so as not to interfere with theultimate mounting of the cabinet in its place of use on.a room wall.

' The Lshaped flange plate 13 is provided with a tongue 39 stamped inpart from and integral at one end with the said plate. This tongue isdirected diagonally inwardly toward the frame and cabinet opening, withits center line at an angle of 45 from the outer corner of the saidplate. The tongue has a location such that the screw maybe received inthe end of the opening 31 in the plate created by bending the tongueoutwardly therefrom, the corresponding end of the tongue engaging theside of the screw nearest thereto.

The sections of the moulding 15 are first assembled uponthe reaches 17of the corner pieces 16, forming a rectangular frame and with themitered ends 29 of the moulding sections substantially meeting at thecorners. There consequently will be four screws 28 projecting rearwardlywithin the four corner portions of the frame. The frame is then appliedto the peripheral flange 11 of the cabinet 10, the said screws 28 beinginserted through the tongue holes 31 in the several L-shaped flangeplates 13 and through appropriate openings 32 of larger size than thescrews provided at the corresponding location in the cabinet flange 11.Since the tongues 39 slope rearwardly, the screws 28 are readily pushedinwardly past the same notwithstanding engagement of the ends of saidtongues with said screws. Nuts 33 are then applied to the screws 28 androtatively advanced into engagement with said tongues 39, therebytending to flatten the tongues back toward their respective openings 31.This applies a momentof force longitudinally of the tongue directedtoward the outer corner of the flange plate 13 and a counterforce,indicated by "arrow 34 in Fig. 8, tending to move the screw laterallyinward toward the inner corner of the frame. Since the flange plate iswelded to the cabinet, it cannot move so any movement resulting from theforces mentioned will be movement of the screw. By virtue of the 45angle of the direction of the force at the corner of the frame, thecorner piece to which the force is applied ismoved diagonally and thesections of the moulding on the reaches of the corner piece will betelescoped therewith until the mitered ends 29 of said sections are intight engagement. The screws, nuts and tongues therefore both closethecorners of the frame and maintain them closed, and also mount the frameupon the cabinet.

I claim:

1. A frame assembly for cabinets, comprising corner pieces, mouldingsections telescopically mounted on said corner pieces, tongues fixed onsaid cabinet diagonally of the corners thereof, and screw means engagedby said tongues applying pressure to said tongues diagonally'of thecorner pieces for telescoping the moulding sections into tightengagement one with another.

2. A frame assembly for cabinets having a peripheral flange, flangeplates fixed on the back of said flange at the corners of the cabinet,movable corner pieces at the front side of said flange, mouldingsections telescopically mounted on said corner pieces, tongues fixed toand sloping rearwardly from said flange plates, and screw means carriedby said corner pieces and in engagement with said tongues for applyingpressure thereto and both mounting the frame on the cabinet andmaintaining tight engage- I References Cited in the file of this patentUNITED STATES PATENTS 739,295 Crane Sept. 22, 1903 1,600,981 GoddardSept. 28, 1926 2,004,727 Keller June 11, 1935 2,184,783 Tinnerman Dec.26, 1939 2,373,409 Myer Apr. 10, 1945 2,538,138 v Webster Jan. 6, 19512,580,029 Krauss Dec. 25, 1951 2,632,535 Clerk Mar. 24, 1953

